Public
Nature Places
in the San Antonio Region
There are a number of places in the San Antonio area where the
general public can observe and learn about nature, at will or with a minimum of
planning and coordination. Among them are:
Friedrich Wilderness Park A pristine Hill Country site with easy-to-challenging
nature trails and abundant plant and animal life. Possibility to see endangered Golden-Cheeked Warblers and Black-Capped Vireos
in nesting season. Office has informal nature exhibits. Staffed
by expert naturalists. Periodic nature programs offered. Restrooms available. No smoking, biking or pets. Located at 21395 Milsa Road, just west of IH-10 West near Camp Bullis. Free admission.
Open daily except Christmas and New Year's Day. Hours 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., April-September; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., October-March. Tel.
(210) 698-1057. City Parks and Recreation
website http://www.ci.sat.tx.us/sapar
or Friends of Friedrich Park site http://www.fofriedrichpark.org/
Mitchell Lake Audubon Center World-class bird refuge on site of former sewage plant. Diverse and abundant waterfowl, shorebirds and wading
birds as well as raptors, many perching birds, and other wildlife.
Birders from all states and many foreign countries visit this place. Land owned
by San Antonio Water System; managed as a refuge and nature education center by
National Audubon Society under contract with SAWS. Various
tours and educational programs available. Open to public Saturdays, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.; sometimes can be visited on other days by appointment. Tel. (210) 628-1639. Admission $2 a person
for unescorted visit; $5 a person for docent-led tours; annual pass available.
Take Loop 410 South, exit at Moursound Road (Exit 46), go south on Moursund
Road 0.7 miles, past Y junction with Pleasanton Road, look for industrial-type
security gate on left. Push call button on keyboard to speak with staff for
admission. See San Antonio Audubon Society website http://www.saaudubon.org
for schedules. Other websites: the Audubon Center at http://www.tx.audubon.org/mitchell.htm
and the support group Mitchell Lake Wetlands Society at http://www.mlws.org.
Eisenhower
Park Lots of vegetation, hilltop lookout, some
wildlife. Picnic/event facilities and hiking trails. Restrooms available. Pets on leashes okay.
Periodic nature programs offered. Located at 19399 North Military Highway, a few miles outside Loop 1604, just outside Camp Bullis gate. Free admission.
Open daily, sun-up to sundown. Managed by same staff as Friedrich Park, Tel. 698-1057. Website http://www.ci.sat.tx.us/sapar
Medina River Park New 364-acre Natural Areas park on site of old proposed
Applewhite Reservoir, at 15890 Highway 16 South. Two distinct
areas that can be accessed north and south of the Medina River for
hiking, camping and outdoor gatherings. North side has
covered pavilion, restroom, parking, park headquarters, and 2.5 miles of
trails. South side has cleared camping area, rest rooms, water service,
for camping by reservation. Call 207-PARK (7275) for camping permit. Website http://www.ci.sat.tx.us/sapar.
San Antonio Botanical Garden Garden has a variety of areas with native vegetation in addition to
more formal gardens and boasts a variety of bird and insect species. Located at 555 Funston, off Broadway, near Fort Sam Houston. Open daily 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission $6 for adults; $4 for seniors and for students and military
with ID; $3 for children aged 3-13. Group rates available.
Tel. (210) 207-3255. Website http://www.ci.sat.tx.us/sapar.
Government Canyon State Natural Area A
pristine 8,662-acre park run by Texas Parks and Wildlife
Department. The site includes some 7,500 acres of Edwards Aquifer recharge zone
and is a prime example of karst terrain. It is also home to the Golden-Cheeked
Warbler, with some 1,100 acres of breeding habitat for that endangered species.
The park headquarters and exhibit hall demonstrates many green-building
concepts, including rainwater harvesting, composting toilets, solar panels, insulation from recycled clothing and wood from sustainable
forestry. Located at 12861 Galm Rd., San Antonio 78254, Tel. 688-9055. Website
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/park/govcan.
Walker
Ranch An in-town city park with archaeological and
historical significance as well as natural vegetation and wildlife. Located at 12603 West Avenue west of the airport. Take Nakoma exit
westward off 281 to West Avenue. Open daily 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Admission free. City Parks and Recreation, Tel. 207-8480. Website
http://www.ci.sat.tx.us/sapar.
McAllister Park An in-town mixed-use park with many athletic fields, but also with a
large section of walking/running paths laid out
through natural vegetation with an abundance of deer, birds and other wildlife.
Located at 13102 Jones-Maltsberger Road between Bitters and Thousand Oaks, just north of the police substation. Open daily 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. City Parks and
Recreation, Tel. 207-8480; website http://www.ci.sat.tx.us/sapar.
Brackenridge
Park and San Antonio Zoo Brackenridge Park is a large mixed-use
facility with a lot of human traffic but well-vegetated and with a lot of
wildlife, especially birds. It is just off Broadway, south of Hildebrand.
Official address is 3500 N. St. Mary's. Open daily 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. City Parks and Recreation, Tel. (210) 207-8480. Website http://www.ci.sat.tx.us/sapar Adjacent
to park is Zoo. Besides one of the nation's largest animal collections, the
well-watered and shaded zoo grounds are a mecca for wild birds of many species,
from wading birds that boldly hunt just a few feet from visitors to
hummingbirds raiding feeders or flowers. Located at 3903 North St. Mary's. Adults, $8; kids
3-11, $6; kids 2 and under free; discounts for seniors and the disabled.
Various annual membership packages are available. Tel. (210)
734-7184. Website http://sazoo-aq.org.
Judson Nature Trail An Alamo Heights trail maintained and much used by San Antonio Audubon Society (SAAS). There is a trail house at
the head of the trail operated by SAAS. The trail itself is open to the public
from dawn to dusk. To reach the trail
turn west on Ogden at the 5900 block of Broadway in Alamo Heights. Drive on Ogden to the stop sign at Greely Street. Turn left one block, then right on Viesca. The parking lot will be
seen on your left. The small green trail house, 246 Viesca St., is at the end of the parking lot just south of the Alamo Heights swimming pool. The
free second Saturday Beginners Bird Walk of the San Antonio Audubon Society
(SAAS) starts at the trail house (8 a.m., September- May and 7:30 a.m, June-August). It covers an area around and including the Olmos Park picnic grounds.
Birders of all ages, members or not, are welcome. Binoculars can be provided.
For information call the SAAS birdline at 308-6788 or check the website at http://www.saaudubon.org.
Crownridge Canyon Natural Area A
200-acre preserve bought via the Edwards Aquifer Protection Initiative sales tax.
Crownridge includes hills, forested bottomlands, restored grasslands, numerous
native plants and Golden-Cheek Warbler habitat. Located at 7222 Luskey Rd., San Antonio 78256. Website http://www.ci.sat.tx.us/sapar.
Witte
Museum The museum's permanent exhibits include an
excellent overview of Texas ecology and there is even a room with some live Texas animals. Located at 3801 Broadway near Brackenridge Park. Open daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., except Tuesday when it stays open till 9 p.m. and Sunday when it
opens at noon. Admission $5.95 for adults, $4.95 for seniors (65 and over), $3.95 for
children aged 4-11, free for children 3 and under, except that admission is
free to all Tuesdays from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tel. (210) 357-1900. Website http://www.wittemuseum.org/
For additional sites that are
especially good for birding, see San Antonio Audubon Society
website http://saaudubon.org